On the same page
by vignette1989
Summary: Post-ep follow-up for 3x22, To Live and Die in L.A. Rating is for chapter 2 smut.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello everyone. I wrote this in a big hurry. It's final exam week at my school, but I really needed to get this out after last night's episode. I may re-visit it after I'm done with classes to fine-tune and polish. Hope you enjoy it. If you would be so kind as to review, I would very much appreciate it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Castle, or any of its characters.

An emotional Kate Beckett sat curled up on the couch in the middle of the luxurious hotel suite she was staying in. Sitting next to her was Richard Castle. For the umpteenth time in recent months, she found herself thanking God that he was at her side.

She should have known Royce would meet a reckless end. It was the only option for someone who lived such a reckless life. And yet, she had loved him.

Castle knew she was upset about Royce. Just like she would be upset if it had been him with that gunshot wound. He could see in her eyes the regret she had over the things she never said to Royce before he was killed. Maybe she thought she'd get the chance one day. He could relate.

So maybe that's why he let his emotions get the better of him for a few moments while he tried to comfort her. He dropped his voice and leaned a fraction of an inch closer to her retracted form.

"You know what I thought when I first met you?" he asked.

Her smile urged him to continue. "That you were a mystery I was never going to solve. Even now, after spending all this time with you, I'm still amazed at the depths of your strength," he said. It was so genuine.

Kate let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and everything suddenly fell into place. Sure, she was pissed that Royce had been killed. But she wasn't upset because she was still in love with him. She was upset because she was in love with Richard Castle, and she didn't want to admit that she was scared she'd never get to tell him the things she never told Royce.

"And your hotness," he added.

There was the Richard castle she knew and loved. Wait, what?

"I'm in love with this man," Kate said to herself. His eyes bore into her, so kind and gentle, so warm and safe. His words were floating around in her mind and she felt his voice still resonating throughout her very core. She found herself unable to break eye contact, and she found that she didn't want to. She could see in his eyes the things he still hadn't said aloud.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she replied, smiling.

Castle watched as she internalized their conversation. He had done something right. Her eyes softened and she kept flicking them downwards to his lips. He knew he could kiss her, genuinely kiss her, without being hog-tied for trying. Finally, they were on the same page.

"It's late. I should go," she muttered. It was almost inaudible, and not very convincing.

"Kate," he pleaded.

"Goodnight, Castle." It was done. He had waited too long.

She grappled with torment on the other side of her bedroom door. Every part of her wanted to open the door and kiss him senseless. She had never been a coward before. Ever. So she swung the door open again, ready to waltz through it and into a new chapter in their relationship, only to find his door swinging closed.

It was done. She had waited too long.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Beckett hadn't even bothered changing into her pajamas. She knew sleep would never come tonight. Instead, she lie on her back, stretched across her bed.

It was almost 2 a.m. and all she could think about was how differently this evening could have played out if she had just followed her heart earlier and let Castle kiss her like they both wanted.

She would probably be lying next to him, her hair splayed across his chest, smiling as his fingers wrote unknown words across her back. Tonight, she would have given in and let him tell her he loved her. She probably would have said it back. Because it was true. And they both knew it.

With a sigh of utter frustration, she arose. She was done with over-thinking. She threw her door open, cleared the living room in a few steps and opened Castle's door without hesitation. She crossed the room to his bed to find him sitting ontop of the comforter, typing furiously on his laptop. He stared at her, half-frightened and half-intrigued, as she pushed the lid closed, took it from his hands and set it down on the floor next to her feet.

"Tell me again," she whispered as she sat down on the edge of his bed. Her eyes didn't meet his.

He knew what she was after immediately. Sitting up straight, he swept the hair on the left side of her face away from her ear. He leaned in so she could feel his breath on her neck. He had always imagined she'd be sensitive there. He was right. He felt her sigh and shudder as he whispered to her.

"Even after all this time, Kate, you're still the most extraordinary woman I've ever met."

Her eyes closed involuntarily and she tilted her head slightly. This wasn't lost on Castle, who leaned in further and placed the softest of feather-light kisses on the junction between her collarbone and shoulder.

As he lifted his mouth away from her, she turned and brought a hand to his cheek, stilling him while she moved in to catch his lips with hers.

There was nothing gentle about it. They had done their fair share of foreplay. This, now, was about finally doing something about the chemistry they had so poorly hidden from one another in the last three years.

She immediately opened her mouth to him, moaning when his tongue sought hers out. She could feel his hands tangling in her hair and she knew she needed more of him. She broke the kiss for a split second while she stood and turned. Climbing onto the bed, she caught his mouth again as she crawled onto him, straddling his lap and gently pushing his torso back into the headboard.

His hands found her waist, shoving the fabric from her shirt aside so he could grip her flesh. She wasted no time in beginning to unbutton his shirt.

The whimpers that were coming from her were unmistakable. And yet, he didn't quite get the picture until she began slowly moving her hips against him. His eyes jerked open and she laughed at him in the middle of a kiss.

"What's wrong, Castle?" she teased him. "Isn't this what you want?"

In one fluid movement, she pulled her shirt over her head and he was groaning at the sight of her in a black lacy bra.

"Kate, are you sure about this," he managed.

She stilled the movements her hips were making and leaned down, kissing him passionately as her hands traveled down and landed on top of his.

"Always," she whispered, looking into his eyes. And he understood. She dragged his hands up her body and placed them on her breasts. Smiling, she kissed him and began her torturous hip circles again before shoving his unbuttoned shirt out of her way.

"God, you're beautiful," he said as his fingers found nipples and began kneading them over her bra.

They made quick work of the rest of their clothing, tossing each piece away from the bed unceremoniously.

He rolled them over and took one of her nipples into his mouth, the other in his hand. He knew she was enjoying this. He could hear her breathing hitching. But his free hand traveled south and found out how just much she was enjoying this.

"Fuck, you're wet," he whispered as his hand reached her slit. Her body shuddered as he rubbed her up and down a few times.

"Shit," she whimpered. He let one finger slip into her. Her back arched. He let his finger work languidly, listening to her sigh as he worked on her nipples.

Finally, he couldn't resist leaving her chest to kiss his way down her body. He kept his finger going while he let his tongue explore her clit. He flicked around it a few times before lowering his mouth onto it to suck and nip at it. Her legs tightened on his shoulders and she started bucking her hips slightly.

"Rick…" she moaned. He could feel his own cock hardening with every move she made. He pulled his finger from her and let his mouth explore her folds. God, she tasted good. His fingers switched places and found her clit, rolling it slowly in circles and he sucked her pussy, dipping his tongue into her.

He felt her unraveling, so he stopped and pulled back to look in her eyes.

"Please, Rick. Fuck me," she pleaded. As he sat up on his knees, she grasped his cock in her hands and began pumping it. She re-positioned herself so she could take it in her mouth, and she licked the tip while her hands worked him. Her eyes looked up at him, sinister. He knew he was in for it.

He was right. Within minutes, she had him with his eyes rolled back, hands tangled in her hair, trying as hard as he could not to buck his hips too hard. In true Beckett form, she seemed to be finding humor in how easily she was torturing him.

With another pouty look up at his eyes, she took his entire length into her mouth, letting his tip slip back into her throat, and she swallowed. This elicited the most guttural of groans from Rick, and she immediately wanted to hear it again.

"Kate, stop. Fuck, you're gonna make me…" he trailed off, gripping her hair a little tighter.

She released him and moved back up his body and onto her knees so they were facing one another. She kissed him deeply.

"Neither of us are going to last very long. We waited too long for this, Castle," she managed to mutter between kisses.

He lowered her onto her back and positioned himself on top of her. Breaking their kiss, he guided her face to look at his as he slowly slid into her as far as he could.

Her back immediately arched and she let out a perfect sigh.

After kissing her again, he began to move in her. Slowly at first, he made a point of cataloging the different noises she made with each of his different moves.

They built speed together, and soon her nails were raking at his back as he slammed into her.

"Mmmmm…. Fuck, Castle. Yeahhhh…"

Every time she moaned, he came closer and closer to losing it.

"Shit… Uhhhhh…" she whimpered as her hips bucked to meet his every thrust.

Sensing his imminent release, he allowed one of his hands to travel down to the bundle of nerves between them. He pressed it with his thumb, and then moved it in rough, fast circles.

Her muscles clenched around him and her iron grip on his shoulders intensified. Their kiss was interrupted by two very vocal moans coming from each of them as they both came at once.

He pumped into her a few more times, emptying into her as they kissed languidly once again. He stroked her clit, her nipples. Her breathing was ragged and heavy and he knew there was no way he would ever be able to let things go back to the way they were before tonight.

He wanted to do this to her every night. Hell, every day too.

They settled in, her head on his chest, hair splayed across him, breathing together. His fingers wrote unknown words across her back, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face even if she wanted to.

"Kate," he whispered before they fell asleep. "I…" he trailed off, uncertain.

"It's OK, Castle. You can tell me."

"I love you, Kate. So much."

"I know. I love you too."

Finally, they were both on the same page.


End file.
